Brian Johnston, Chief of Pediatric Services at Harborview reached out recently about an exciting “trauma aftercare” program that they want to launch at Harborview and has asked for any help from us by telling our stories.

Some new support services that are being considered include: having a registry with active case management and scheduled check-ins from a case worker who would insure families got into scheduled follow-up care and received needed resources; a single point of contact for problems, questions or concerns after discharge; maybe an app to help with coordination of medical care, access to resources and to facilitate communication from the hospital to the patient; and creation of appropriate peer survivor or mentor networks.

Brian reached to HeadStrong to ask if any families or people would be willing to talk to him (or email) about their experience following care at Harborview. Brian said it would be very valuable to have stories from patients and families who have experienced the highs and lows of long term recovery after trauma. They want to understand the issues faced by people recovering from serious trauma and put a human face to the problem. People can call Brian or if they prefer, if they could share their stories via email, Brian will bring them to the UW Medicine team. The things he wants to emphasize include:

Care coordination with other healthcare systems (or not…)

Follow-up and aftercare instructions – knowing what to expect

Return to school or work, and the support needed. Where did you find that advice and support?

The importance of peer support – how were you connected to these networks?

Any thoughts or ideas about how the hospital could have supported your family through the long period or recovery and readjustment that follows major trauma?

Cancelled: The Valentine Gratitude Party event slated for Sunday, February 10, 2019 from 1-4 pm at Our BEST Space in University Place, WA and hosted by HeadStrong, BEST and Heartfelt Tidbits of Creativity, has been cancelled due to inclement weather conditions.

It was an afternoon of summer memories yesterday for the BEST HeadStrong Picnic! Here’s a video recap of a lovely day. Thank you to all who joined us and special thanks to Outdoors for All Foundation for providing our kayaking activity.

To help our teams best prepare a fun day for all of our friends, we’d love to get your RSVP (for you and your guests) by Wednesday, August 15, 2018. Many thanks for your help and hope to see you at the picnic! Details below: